School forced to leave Foothill campus

GLENDALE — A court order that temporarily closed a private Armenian school in La Crescenta will continue, a judge ruled Friday, effectively forcing it from its campus near 3800 Foothill Blvd.

City attorneys and representatives for Scholars Academic Foundation informed Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Laura Matz on Friday that both sides had agreed the injunction should be released after the school has left its campus on Foothill Boulevard.

"My understanding is [they've] either left or are in the process of leaving," Vip Bhola, the attorney for the school, said in court.

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Both sides were represented solely by their lawyers, a departure from earlier hearings where school parents and children packed the courtroom. Friday's hearing lasted about five minutes.

A judge sided with the city earlier this month when he said the school had not complied with numerous zoning and safety permit requirements.

"Our primary concern was for the health and safety of the occupants of the building, most of whom were children," Michael Garcia, chief assistant city attorney, said in an e-mail. "We are satisfied that the judge agreed with the city's position."

School owner and operator Anahit Grigoryan said the school would reopen after applying for the proper permits.

"We are doing great," she said. "We are fine."

The school initially beat the city in a trial earlier this year that allowed it to hold classes on Foothill Boulevard while working through permit issues. But ultimately, the court found the school hadn't made enough progress.

The K-12 school was scheduled to begin classes Sept. 7. Families were notified they had to enroll at other schools, but could return once Grigoryan's campus reopened, she said.

State law requires families to immediately enroll elsewhere when their school closes. There is no waiting period, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Office of Education said.

The school is a different entity from Scholars Armenian School and Arts Center, which Grigoryan had owned and operated at a Grandview Avenue location.

The company filed for bankruptcy last year and continues litigation against its former landlord.

Grigoryan lost about 40 students to Burbank Unified last spring during that closure, district officials said.